David Bowie
We’ll miss you.
Hi – Claire here.
Such a sad day today hearing about the Death of the genius that was Bowie.
I really enjoyed his music, and was MAD on Labyrinth – but Tanya was a serious FAN.
When she heard the news this morning, she immediately started scribbling furiously to share on Facebook – along with the sea of other people wanting to share their sorrow and express their sadness.
I just felt I would share what she said with you.
“When I was little I loved David Bowie.
In that all-consuming kind of a way that young people can – with a mind free of boring real-life detail. While the other girls were doing that teary-eyed rabid screaming at Duran and later, Bros concerts – my heart was firmly David’s.
(That said, I did cheat on him with both Adam and Fleetingly George – but Bowie being Bowie – I knew he’d forgive me, and possibly think me rather racy)
We are supposed to look back on Childhood crushes with a tinge of embarrassment; what was I thinking and so on.
Bowie gave me my ‘firsts’ soundtrack.
First memorable School Disco: Let’s Dance
First time I saw TV could change the World: Young Americans
First Snog: Absolute Beginners
First Illegal Act: Ashes to Ashes (long, but very good, story)
First Obsessive ‘on-loop’ film watching: Labyrinth
Also… although I am sharing – some things are not for public consumption –
but there was a special ‘first’ watching ‘The Hunger’
But he didn’t stop there: Bowie was in for the long Haul.
Way back, I did a fitness course (back in the day you took a year to do that, rather than the weekends you can do it in today) and polarised the Tutors. One thought that the fact that I had chosen a Bowie track for my first assessed ‘teach’ (Little Wonder) was enough for me to fail “you need to choose music that your class will enjoy rather than a selfish choice of YOUR kind of music” whereas the other wanted to give me top marks and “expected to see my name up in lights”.
And so it went on.
I have always been annoyed by people stuck in an era, only listening to music they liked when they were young – but Bowie was my exception. He’s somewhere in any track list I make for anything – new stuff, old stuff – it’s all just good music.
Bowie always was the exception to any rule.
Back in the time that people were shocked (bless) that Freddie Mercury was gay – it was just a given that Bowie’s sexuality was obviously fluid.
People didn’t have the usual backward reaction to that; it was just Bowie. Whatever he did was just cool.
The important thing, like everything he did, is that it didn’t matter – decades before people realised it didn’t matter.
The looks, the outfits, the videos, the acting, the art – the fact that his past didn’t define him like the nostalgia artists trading on their past, he just carried on creating, working with young artists, the coolest people of any given time and pushing the bar.
So for me; this is not a sad day. He was never human in the first place. He didn’t really live here with the mortals in the dull way that other artists do. He was from somewhere else, never in the mainstream but on the edges; looking in and playing.
Deciding what to be and just being it; in a way no-one else with their stylists and creative teams could – brainstorming for months and never coming close. So he can’t have died anyway. Not really.
Dying is just a detail. People will hear him, be inspired, hear his voice, enjoy his art and decide they can be any damn thing they want to be, long after you or I are around. And have their firsts, whatever that might be, because of him.
The coolest man in the World left us today… in body.
But I can’t see that making much difference at all.
Thank you David”
Obviously from the heart ….. but this wasn’t really about just songs or a person….. it was about moments in time.
The music transported her straight back in time to the school disco, or the kiss…the way that music does.
Bowie’s influenced countless moments for millions of people.
His genius and talent actually changed peoples’ moments.
While we can look back and fondly remember; moments are what our lives our made of.
The current moment is all we truly have.
One moment after another and each can be anything.
Every moment a fresh start.
Living each one as fully and completely as is possible – the way Bowie lived his life – literally to the full,
savouring life.
By slowing down and relishing every chord of a song, or the beauty of art…or the company of another.
Bowie’s work was often about the future and we are remembering him now, but he lived so obviously, passionately and fiercely in the moment that he produced the brilliance that he did
Living that way makes life worth living.
Like Bowie did.
We’ll miss you David – thank you for everything.
xx